Best hotels in Nusa Dua and Uluwatu
Choose Nusa Dua if you want to walk into a calm sea from the sand, with the airport about half an hour away. Choose Uluwatu for cliffs, surf and sunsets, and do your swimming in the pool. Below are six hotels grouped by area, with the room to book at each: three in Nusa Dua, AYANA on the Jimbaran cliffs, then two in Uluwatu.
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- beachfrontcalm seabutlersuitesCurator's verdict
For a week on the sand in Nusa Dua: a big suite, a calm sea and pools kept for suite and villa guests.
- Who it suits:
- Couples who want to split the day between the pool and the beach.
- Good to know:
- The shared estate has queues, and sunbeds go before noon. The hotel holds IDR 2,000,000 per night on your card at check-in.
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The all-suite part of the large Mulia estate in Sawangan, Nusa Dua. All 111 suites have a balcony or terrace with a Jacuzzi, a butler is on call around the clock, and Geger Beach, about a kilometre of calm sand, runs right in front.
The easiest beach days on this page: you walk into the sea straight from the sand, though the water turns very shallow at low tide. The Oasis and Aqua pools and The Lounge are kept for The Mulia and Mulia Villas guests, which is how you escape the busy shared estate. The room to book is Junior Suite, Oceanfront (Baron Ocean Suite): 105 m², a Jacuzzi on the terrace and the beach in front.
- family clubbeach clubaquarium restaurantswim-up roomsCurator's verdict
For children and good food in Nusa Dua: a beach club on the sand, Koral, and a lagoon pool off your terrace.
- Who it suits:
- Families with children, and couples who care about food.
- Good to know:
- There are more than 200 steps, and breakfast between 8 and 9am is crowded. Parts of the family club may not be open yet, so ask the hotel what is running for your dates.
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A 465-room resort stepped down a cliff in Sawangan, at the southern end of Nusa Dua. At the bottom is Reef Beach Club, with a 42 m infinity pool on the sand, and Koral, Bali's first aquarium restaurant, is here too.
Our Nusa Dua pick for families: a family club, beach watersports with staff on hand and a calm swimming area inside the breakwater. Book Grand Deluxe Lagoon Room King: 80 m², it sleeps three, and the terrace steps straight into the lagoon pool.
- quietlift to the covepool suitescouplesCurator's verdict
The quietest hotel in Nusa Dua, for resting without leaving the resort.
- Who it suits:
- Honeymooners, and families with children aged 8 and over.
- Good to know:
- It is far from everything: Kuta and Seminyak are 40 minutes or more by car. Some guests find the food repetitive over a long stay.
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A small clifftop resort of 81 suites and villas at the quiet southern end of Nusa Dua, with an infinity pool over the ocean and a lift down to a secluded white-sand cove. Most guests are couples.
The one to book if you want a quiet beach hotel and plan to stay in. The cove is calm, with kayaks, paddleboards and a catamaran; the bottom is seagrass, not coral. Book Samabe Ocean Front Pool Suite - Free Benefit: 180 m², with an 18 m² pool of its own.
- kids' clubsunsetclifftoprestaurantsCurator's verdict
For a lively week with children or friends without leaving the gate.
- Who it suits:
- Families with children aged 4 and up, and couples who want sunset at the Rock Bar.
- Good to know:
- You share the estate with three other hotels, and outside visitors come for the Rock Bar. The kitchens are not halal-certified; ask for non-pork menus before you arrive.
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A big clifftop resort at the southern end of Jimbaran, one of four hotels on the 90-hectare AYANA estate. The Rock Bar, Kubu Beach and around 30 restaurants and bars sit behind one gate, and the airport is 12 km away.
The strongest family choice on this page: the AYANA Ocean Adventure kids' club takes children from age 4, and free play costs nothing for guests. Kubu Beach is reached by inclinator; ask the staff about the waves before you swim. Book the Ocean View Room: 52 m², with a balcony facing the Indian Ocean.
- surfclifftoppool suitescouplesCurator's verdict
The surf pick on this page: Impossibles is at the bottom of the stairs, and the temple is 3 km away.
- Who it suits:
- Surfers, and couples who want an ocean-view terrace.
- Good to know:
- There are a lot of stairs and no kids' club. Your booking may still show the Anantara name, so give your driver the new one.
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Formerly Anantara Uluwatu, and as of October 2026 Svanata Uluwatu Bali Resort. Its 73 suites, pool villas and penthouses step down the cliff at Labuan Sait in Uluwatu, most of them facing the ocean, and private stairs lead down to Impossibles, a reef surf break.
For surfers and couples who want the breaks and the temple close by: Uluwatu Temple is 3 km away, and Padang Padang and Bingin beaches are under 1 km as the crow flies. You cannot swim below the hotel, so you swim in the pool. Book Ocean Front Pool Suite with Free Benefits: 100 m², with a pool cantilevered over the slope and a jacuzzi.
- honeymoonprivate poolbutlersunsetCurator's verdict
For a honeymoon in Uluwatu: a pool in every villa, a butler and sunset on the cliff.
- Who it suits:
- Honeymooners and couples who want to spend their days in the villa.
- Good to know:
- The beach is about 600 steps down and not for swimming. There is no kids' club, and even the temple is 6 km away by taxi.
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An all-villa resort at Pecatu, where the cliffs drop to the Indian Ocean. Each of the 65 villas has its own pool and cabana and a butler around the clock, and the 50-metre cliffside pool and the Sunset Cabana Bar sit on the edge.
Our honeymoon pick for Uluwatu, and a place you come to stay in: yoga every morning, a two-hour treatment in the Cliff Edge Spa Cabana, a violin at the Saturday sunset. Book One-Bedroom Uluwatu Pool Villa: 290 m², with a private infinity pool and a 24-hour villa host.
Prices and availability are checked live before booking.
About this list
We picked six hotels from three areas in Bali's south: Nusa Dua, Jimbaran and Uluwatu. For each one we name the room to book as it appears on the booking screen, and we do not hide the catch: crowds, stairs or distance.
Choose the area before the hotel. If your days will be spent in the sea, stay in Nusa Dua; if you are coming for sunsets and surf, stay in Uluwatu. The two are a taxi ride apart: Uluwatu Temple is 20 km by road from The Apurva Kempinski, about 45 minutes. Staying in Nusa Dua and giving one evening to sunset at Uluwatu is the easiest plan.
Before you pay, check three things: that the room name matches the one we give, how far your room is from the restaurants on a cliff site, and what your rate covers. Meal plan varies by rate; you see what is included on the booking screen before you pay. Your room is confirmed after payment.
Nusa Dua or Uluwatu? The areas, getting around and when to go
Nusa Dua: calm sea, big resorts
In Nusa Dua the sea is calm and you walk in from the sand. Geger Beach, in front of The Mulia, runs for about a kilometre and faces the sunrise; at low tide the water turns very shallow. At the southern end, two of the hotels sit on the cliff: Samabe has a lift down to its cove, and The Apurva Kempinski has lifts and more than 200 steps down to its beach club. The airport is about half an hour away, and for sunset you go to Uluwatu.
On the list:The Mulia The Apurva Kempinski Samabe
Uluwatu cliffs: surf and sunsets
In Uluwatu the hotels sit on top of the cliffs above the Indian Ocean, and you cannot swim from the shore below them. Svanata's stairs lead to the Impossibles reef break, and Alila's small cove is about 600 steps down, so you swim in the pool. The nearest sand beach is Padang Padang, about 120 steps down from the road, with an entrance fee. The Kecak dance at Uluwatu Temple starts at sunset, and the airport is 45–70 minutes away.
On the list:Svanata Uluwatu (Anantara Uluwatu) Alila Villas Uluwatu
Jimbaran cliff: AYANA
AYANA Resort Bali sits on the cliffs at the southern end of Jimbaran, 12 km from the airport and 8 km from Uluwatu Temple. It has a little of both areas: Kubu Beach is a small white-sand cove reached by inclinator, and the Rock Bar sits on the rocks, where everyone wants the sunset slot. Four hotels share the 90-hectare estate, so expect a crowd rather than quiet. Ask the staff about the waves before you swim.
On the list:AYANA Resort
Getting around
The only place you can walk to from these hotels is Pura Geger, the small temple reached along Geger Beach from The Mulia. For everything else you need a taxi or a hotel car. From Nusa Dua, Seminyak is 40 minutes or more by car and Ubud about 90 minutes (49 km). From Uluwatu the airport alone is 45–70 minutes, and Ubud is 90 minutes to two hours beyond it, so give Ubud a few nights of its own rather than a day trip. As of October 2026, Turkish citizens can stay in Indonesia, Bali included, visa-free for up to 30 days, not extendable.
On the list:The Mulia
When to go
April to October is drier, and August is the driest month. November to March is the wetter season, with 150–400 mm of rain a month, and daytime highs stay around 29–33 °C all year. In Uluwatu the terrace, the pool and the sunset are the point, so go in the dry months; the big Nusa Dua resorts have spas and restaurants for a wet day. Nyepi falls on Monday 8 March 2027, when the airport is closed all day, so do not fly that day.
Questions before you book
Nusa Dua or Uluwatu: which is better?
Nusa Dua for swimming and children, Uluwatu for cliffs, surf and sunsets. In Nusa Dua the sea is calm, the resorts are big and the airport is about half an hour away. In Uluwatu the hotels sit on the cliffs, you swim in the pool rather than the sea, and the airport is 45–70 minutes away.
Can you swim in the sea in Nusa Dua?
Yes. Geger Beach, in front of The Mulia, is sandy and calm, and you walk straight in. At low tide the water gets very shallow, so plan your swims around the tide. At The Apurva Kempinski you swim inside the breakwater, and at Samabe in a calm cove reached by lift.
Can you swim in the sea below the Uluwatu hotels?
No. Svanata Uluwatu's private stairs lead to Impossibles, a sharp reef break for experienced surfers. The small cove below Alila Villas Uluwatu is about 600 steps down and not for swimming either. Swim in the pool, and take a taxi to Padang Padang for sand.
Which Uluwatu hotel is best for a honeymoon?
Alila Villas Uluwatu. All 65 villas have a private pool and a cabana, with butler service around the clock. Book One-Bedroom Uluwatu Pool Villa: 290 m², with an infinity pool. Watch the sunset from the Sunset Cabana Bar on the cliff edge.
Nusa Dua or Uluwatu with children?
Nusa Dua or Jimbaran, not Uluwatu: neither Uluwatu hotel here has a kids' club. Our pick is AYANA Resort Bali in Jimbaran, whose kids' club takes children from age 4, daily 9am–6pm with a break from 1 to 2pm. Free play costs nothing for guests, and the two slides in the kids' pool are for ages 5 and up.
Which is the quietest beach hotel in Bali's south?
Samabe. It is a small clifftop resort of 81 suites and villas at the southern end of Nusa Dua, and most guests are couples. A lift takes you down to a calm white-sand cove. Book Samabe Ocean Front Pool Suite - Free Benefit, which has its own 18 m² pool.
How far are Nusa Dua and Uluwatu from the airport?
Nusa Dua is about half an hour: around 25 minutes to The Mulia and 30 to Samabe and The Apurva Kempinski. AYANA in Jimbaran is 12 km, about 30 minutes depending on traffic. The two Uluwatu hotels are 45–70 minutes away. All of them can arrange an airport transfer; ask the price when you book.
How far is Ubud from Nusa Dua and Uluwatu?
From Nusa Dua, Ubud is about 90 minutes (49 km), and Seminyak 40 minutes or more by car. From Uluwatu the airport alone is 45–70 minutes; from there Seminyak is another 30–45 minutes and Ubud 90 minutes to two hours. Plan Ubud as a few nights of its own, not a day trip.
Calm sand or the cliffs?
Pick the area first, then open the hotel's page for the full room list. Prices and availability are checked live before you book.
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